Method of making fertilizer.



BEST VILBLE COPY S. M. DOOLITTLE. MBTHOD 0F MAKING PERTILIZBR. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 6, 1912.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

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lnventor Witnesses Attorneys [UNITED sfrnrns lParam? oFF-ICE.

sAMUEnM. DooLrr'rLE,

OF DECKER, INDIANA.

METHOD or MAKING Fna'rltrznn.

Application filed .Tune 5,

. useful Method of Making Fertilizer, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method of making fertilizers, one of its objects being to convert straw and other waste vegetation into an eilicient fertilizer having all of the properties of ordinary farm manure.

Another object is to conserve the water used as an agent to promote decomposition, as a liquid fertilizer for the treatment of growing plants. I

With the foregoing and other objects in view the. invention consists in the certain steps of the method and in the combination of ingredients hereinafter more fully described and pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which is a view partly in section, and'ipartly in elevation, one form ot apparatus employed in producing the fertilizer` has been shown.

In carrying out the invention straw, weeds, clover chad, or any other waste vegetation, such as shown generally at l, is

packed within the lower portion of a Vat 2.

This vegetation is then covered with a 1" llayerA or bed of lime, indicated at 3 and which, 1sl turn, 1s covered with manure, as

' `shown at 4.. l/Vater is then supplied to the 'contents of the vat and the heat generated by the lime is prevented from escaping by the manure.v Thus it will be seenthat the contents of the vat will rot rapidly, the straw being quickly reduced to a state where. is can be used effectively as a fertilizer in. conjunction with the other solid ingredients of the vat.. The water used in the disintegration of the solid materials seeps through the mass and becomes impregnated with portions of the fertilizing agents contained within the mass. This water iiows from the vat through suitably arranged outlets 5 to a ltank 6. If desired a cover, such as show-,n

at 7, may be combined with the vat'. fontbie. purpose of still further preventing the waste ot heat generated during the process of disintegration.

ln actual practice it has been found -de A:rable' to use onehundred pounds' of lime Specieation of Lettersl Patent.

Patented itunes, 1912.

1912. serial No. 101,923.

and five hundred pounds of manure to one ton of straw or other waste vegetation.

The liquid fertilizer obtained by the method herein described has been found by careful analysis, to contain the following valuable ingredientsz-phosphoric acid (P,()), ammonia (NIL), pot-ash (KZO).

It has been found in actual practice that the time required to properly decompose the vegetable matter contained within the vat, is from thirty to forty days. At the expiration of that time the contents of the vat can be removed and used in the same manner as ordinary manure and the liquid fertilizer I collected within the tank 6 can subsequently The word vegetation as use 1n the specification and claims 1s designed to cover be employed for cultivating growin plants.

.such growths as straw, weeds, and other like materials.

What is claimed is 1. The method of making a liquid fertilizer, which consists in placing straw or similar vegetation in a vat, covering the mass with a layer of quick lime, over-spreading the lime with a bed of manure, and supplying water in requisite quantities to the manure to maintain the materials in a moist condition whereby to cause the lime to slake and thus generate heat to rot the vegetation and charge the water, while seeping through the mass, with active fertilizing agents.

2. The method. of making a liquid fertilizer, which consists in placing straw or.

SAMUEL M. DOOLITTLE.

l:Witnesses:

JOHN H. BAKS,

i SILAs C. BADER. 

